Horror Solo Role-playing: Ironsworn Plus Necroscope
Necroscope, The Untrodden Ways, and Ironsworn Game Engine
If you’re a fan of horror with a splash of sci-fi, you’ve probably heard of the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley. It’s an epic journey across 18 books, packed with spies, ESP, Cold War intrigue, alien vampires, and Christian mythology. Lumley’s imagination takes you everywhere—across continents, through other dimensions, and even into outer space. Now, imagine mixing all that with the Ironsworn game engine and The Untrodden Ways. It’s a match made for adventure, and if you’re ready to dive in, here are some homebrew ideas to help you set up your own Necroscope campaign.
Heads up: There are spoilers ahead. If you haven’t read or listened to a Necroscope novel, it’s worth checking them out first. The heart of the story revolves around Harry Keogh, the series’ main character, and his wild adventures.
World Building: Where Horror Meets History
What really sets the Necroscope series apart from other horror novels is its world building. Brian Lumley crafted a sprawling timeline, detailed maps, and a massive cast—over 150 characters, both major and minor! The story on Earth kicks off in 300 BC, when a vampire lord emerges in Romania and spreads the curse of vampirism. From then on, vampires show up at every major battle and war. If there’s bloodshed, you can bet vampires are lurking nearby.
The main action in the series takes place in the 1970s and 1980s. If you love the vibe of classic James Bond movies or shows like Peacock’s Ponies, you’ll find plenty of inspiration for setting your campaign in that era. Think vintage cars, old-school spy gadgets, and life before cell phones. You’ll be thwarting biologically enhanced vampires with little more than a knife and a pistol.
Harry (or your character) gets recruited by E-Branch, Britain’s ESPionage Spy Branch, and faces ghosts, vampires, and all sorts of horrors. He travels through space, time, and dimensions, doing whatever it takes to stop the vampires from destroying Earth.
Endless Role-playing Options
As a game master, this huge timeline gives you endless options. Want sword fights? Start your campaign in ancient Rome, battling vampires on the battlefield. Prefer wild 1970s style? Deck your characters out in funky clothes and let them deal with primitive technology and nosy spies. Or set your story in the 1980s, where you’re an E-Branch spy grooving to British Invasion tunes with a clunky cellphone. Fast-forward to the early 2000s, and you’ll see that even modern tech isn’t enough to take down the vampires and their monstrous creations.
Necroscope Characters: Larger Than Life
The Necroscope universe is packed with colorful characters — spies, vampires, soldiers, and scientists. Every vampire has their own quirks, and each human spy is unique, thanks to ESP powers, weapon training, or government connections. Real historical figures like August Ferdinand Möbius even show up as ghosts, interacting with the living. Being able to see ghosts means your fiction can tap into any point in history.
When designing vampire NPCs, get creative. The wilder, the better—think extra eyes, claws, wolf heads, or bat wings. Let your imagination run with odd personality traits and jaw-dropping body modifications.
Creatures: Vampires, Werewolves, and Beyond
The vampires in Necroscope come in all shapes and sizes. You’ll encounter thralls, Dracula-style vampires, werewolves, bat-creatures, giant leeches, crab monsters, and more. Destroying them is never easy. One big difference from typical vampire lore is that Necroscope vampires aren’t bothered by crosses or holy water.
Vampires also have a connection to nocturnal creatures—wolves, cats, bats, bugs, snakes. If you’re adapting The Untrodden Ways for Necroscope-inspired monsters, here’s how you might stat them:
- Vampires: NPC level 3
- Vampire Lords: NPC level 4
- Flyers: NPC level 2
- Warriors: NPC level 4
- Other vampiric creatures: NPC level 3
Remember: blood is everything. As long as a vampire gets fresh blood, they heal and grow stronger. The longer something stays vampirized, the more powerful it becomes.
Limited Magic: Rare and Powerful
Magic exists in Necroscope, but spellcasting is a lost art. There are no active magic practioners in the Necroscope. In later novels, Harry discovers a ritual spell to bring people back to life. It works perfectly, but he never shares the secret.
You might decide your character stumbles on a hidden book of spells. Maybe a spy branch is experimenting with ancient magic and a ghost of your ancestors asks you to intervene. It’s up to you how much magic you want to weave into your campaign.
Way-Portals: Doors to the Unknown
In The Untrodden Ways, way-portals are gates to magical lands. For a Necroscope adventure, way-portals need to change. In Lumley’s universe, there are two types: Mobius doorways (math-based portals to a void outside space-time), and white-hole gates (connecting two dimensions with wild physics).
Like Tolkien, Lumley included maps and artwork in his novels. Geography is crucial. Your campaign could take you to E-Branch headquarters in Britain, Russian chateaus, Romanian castles, Greek islands, or even other worlds.
Character Paths: How to Build Your Hero
ESP Spies
- Power: What’s your ESP specialty? The Magic Paths oracle in The Untrodden Ways: Characters Guide can help you pick. The novels feature telepaths, telekinetics, and clairvoyants.
- Core Stat: Consider adding a sixth core stat: ‘ESP’. Start your character’s ESP at a low level (1 or 2) and let them build it up between campaigns. Let’s say your character’s power is a ‘reader’ (someone who learns information by touching objects). Use your ESP core stat for moves like Gather Information.
- Health: Using ESP powers affects your health. After two uses of your ESP core stat, adjust your health down -1 or increase the challenge dice by +1 for each additional use.
- Leveling Up: When you Make Camp, invest time practicing your ESP to grow your core stat.
- Limitations: ESP powers are strong but come with drawbacks. For instance, a Reader must wear gloves to avoid constant impressions making it hard to connect with others. Note a Bane or Burden on your character sheet. The stronger the power, the bigger the Debility to keep things balanced.
Soldiers and Law Enforcement
Not everyone is an ESP-powered spy. Playing as a regular human in military or law enforcement can still be thrilling especially when facing vampires. The Asset Card deck for The Untrodden Ways has plenty of military weapons for your character.
Scientists and Technicians
E-Branch relies on its scientists and techs. If your campaign starts in the 1950s or 1960s, your scientist is inventing cool but clunky gadgets. Technicians in the 2000s can introduce futuristic tech to your story.
Visualizing the Necroscope Universe
These artists have taken the written word and transformed it into fantastic illustrations.
- Bob Eggleton: His iconic skull covers made Necroscope novels stand out.
- Paul Brown: Sculpted Vasagi the Suck, a memorable vampire lord.
- David Rigby: Created various sketches for the series.
- Dave Kendall: Worked on Malibu Comics’ Necroscope adaptations.
Official Resources: Games, Books, and Comics
- Role-playing Games: West End Games released a Necroscope RPG and expansion modules. Hunt eBay for West End Games Necroscope. Use the publications for story inspiration and technical details.
- Books: The official Brian Lumley Web site is your go-to for Necroscope book lists.
- Comic Books: Malibu Comics adapted the first two novels into comics. Be warned: they’re NSFW and heavy on horror. The painted-style art by Daerick Gross and Dave Kendall brings the vampires to life. Find Malibu Comics Necroscope back issues for visual references.
- Caliber Comics started adapting The Source novel. Two Caliber Comics Necroscope issues were released.
Horror RPG
Are you ready to build your own Necroscope campaign using Ironsworn and The Untrodden Ways? The Necroscope universe is rich in details, the monsters are wild, and the world-building is unmatched. There’s a whole world of horror and adventure waiting for you. Don’t forget to bring garlic (it could save your life) and keep your ESP powers sharp!
References
No affiliation between The Untrodden Ways and any of these references. Necroscope ® is a registered trademark of Brian Lumley. The mention of or references to any companies or products on this homebrew blog post is not a challenge to the trademarks or copyrights concerned.
- Ironsworn is copyright Tomkin Press. Ironsworn Game Engine used with Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
- Peacock Ponies is a trademark of Peacock TV LLC. A Division of NBCUniversal.
- James Bond and 007 are trademarks of London Operations, LLC
Raw artwork provided by Pexels: pete79, marek-piwnicki, michele-raffoni, and anete-lusina.